Toolpath
• 90 min
#7 Chips and Tips - Product Roadmap and Team Retreat
Chips and Tips Podcast
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When Toolpath’s remote team came together in Cleveland, something clicked. From shop-floor brainstorms to late-night bowling, the week wasn’t just productive. It was a clear signal that in-person time still matters. In this episode of Chips and Tips, Pete and Ben unpack what made it work and why these moments matter more than ever.
Toolpath Product Roadmap episode summary
Toolpath might run in the cloud, but the people behind it bring a grounded energy to everything they do. In this episode of Chips and Tips, the team reflects on their recent time together in Cleveland, where digital-first workflows met the reality of shared space and spontaneous collaboration.
“From the start, just good validation. We have a good team of people who, when you put them in the same room, get excited about the work.” — Pete Oxenham
Pete, Toolpath’s Head of Product, shares what it was like meeting most of the team face-to-face for the first time. As the only full-timer based at the Ohio shop, he had already seen Toolpath from the ground level. But spending a week alongside engineers, machinists, and customer success leaders brought new context to the work. It also proved something simple but powerful: the right people don’t need icebreakers. They just show up and start building.
What followed was a week packed with energy. Conversations sparked over coffee and carried into the shop floor. People swapped ideas, solved bugs, and learned from each other without needing to schedule it. “It was just good validation,” Pete says. “We have a team that works well together, no matter the format.” That natural momentum fueled everything from product direction to process improvements.
And then there was bowling. A late-night outing turned into a mini engineering deep dive when Pete realized the alley used string-pin mechanisms. He’d never seen one in person, so of course, he had questions. It’s a perfect snapshot of Toolpath culture-curious, detail-obsessed, and always learning.
More than anything, the trip reminded everyone why this work matters. Toolpath helps shops quote and program faster, but it’s built by people who care about how things get made. That week in Cleveland didn’t just tighten team bonds. It strengthened the feedback loop that shapes the platform itself.
“Being out there was really good for me. I could walk around, ask questions, and actually see what was going on.” — Pete
Toolpath’s job is to close the productivity gap in CNC machining. And sometimes, the fastest way forward is a week spent learning side-by-side.
